Matthew
/ˈmæθjuː/
noun
Origin
Hebrew
מַתִּתְיָהוּ (Mattithyahu) — Gift of the Lord
Overview
Meaning Now
- A masculine given name of Hebrew origin.
- The first book of the New Testament of the Bible, traditionally attributed to the apostle Matthew.
Literal older meaning
Gift of YHWH
Language path
Hebrew → Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
Ματθαῖος (Matthaios)
Earliest period
1st century AD
Journey
The name became widely disseminated through the Christian tradition, particularly due to the Gospel of Matthew, which is placed first in the New Testament canon.
Evolution
- Ancient Hebrew
Mattithyahu
“Gift of Yahweh”
Original Hebrew name construction.
- Koine Greek
Matthaios
“Matthew”
Hellenized form of the Hebrew name.
- Latin
Matthaeus
“Matthew”
Adopted into ecclesiastical Latin.
- Middle English
Matheu
“Matthew”
Adapted from Old French and Latin.
Connections
Word parts
Mattith
root
gift
yahu
root
Yahweh
Related across languages
Spanish
Mateo
Matthew
French
Matthieu
Matthew
Italian
Matteo
Matthew
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Related to Matthew
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.